I know not everyone who reads this post agrees with us, and we’ve taken a fair share of criticism for our viewpoint, but we’ve been consistently skeptical of the power of 3D to drive HDTV sales. And now, after the industry spent millions (billions?) of dollars in promotion and advertising , as well as several years of intense sales effort, and probably billions of dollars in research & development – a new survey of HDTV-purchasing consumers from reputable researcher J.D. Power and Associates shows that 3D was ranked a distant last as the reason they purchased their set.
Consumer Trends
SpeakerCraft Crafts a New Kind of Speaker
At the CEA Line Show last month, we saw a whole spectrum of exhibitors, including: 1) Unknown brands vying to get the attention of the tech press; 2) Well-known brands showing products again that have already been announced and shown; 3) And then there were a couple of surprises – well-known companies showing entirely new products or product categories. SpeakerCraft, a well-known predominantly custom integration supplier, surprised us with a new product in a new category for them…they call it Protegé.
Call it Protegé…but don’t call it a soundbar… [Read more…] about SpeakerCraft Crafts a New Kind of Speaker
Latest CEA Industry Data Shows Shocking Struggles, Are We Headed for a ‘Meltdown’?
One of the benefits of attending the 2012 CEA Line Show in NYC is that the sponsoring trade group (Consumer Electronics Association) brings their resident economist who provides the latest market research data of where the industry is now…and where he thinks it will be at the end of the year after the holiday selling season. He’s not always right…but he is always interesting. And this year, as always, there was a mixture of good news and mostly bad news.
See the latest CEA data – much of it surprising. Do you agree with their areas of opportunity?… [Read more…] about Latest CEA Industry Data Shows Shocking Struggles, Are We Headed for a ‘Meltdown’?
Don’t Worry About the Top 1% or the Bottom 99% – Worry About the Middle 60%
A new report from the Federal Reserve Board shines the light on why the economic recovery is so anemic – middle income families got hit the hardest in the recent financial industry collapse in 2007-2010. And with an economy that is 70% based on consumer spending…this is troubling news for those involved in selling consumer goods and services – such as the consumer electronics industry.
[Read more…] about Don’t Worry About the Top 1% or the Bottom 99% – Worry About the Middle 60%
Latest Brand Preference Survey Spells Trouble for Key Tech Brands
In a new study by market researcher Strategy Analytics, more than six thousand consumers were surveyed about which technology brands they preferred – and the results highlight what is likely a radical market repositioning for certain tech brands that have lost market share in a challenging industry environment.
See if these results surprise you as much as some of them did me… [Read more…] about Latest Brand Preference Survey Spells Trouble for Key Tech Brands
JVC Kenwood to Sell System Streaming Soothing Sounds of Forests
JVC Kenwood Corp. said that next spring it will begin selling a system designed to deliver the soothing sounds of the forest streamed over the Internet in real time. The company will be involved in all aspects of the system from setting up source equipment to collect the sounds of various forests, to coordinating the delivery of the forest content across the Internet, to delivering unique speaker systems in the homes of end users with technology to receive and play the environmental sounds.
How does it work?…
[Read more…] about JVC Kenwood to Sell System Streaming Soothing Sounds of Forests
Monster’s Cable-less Future
This week at the Alliance Expo 2012 being held in Newark, NJ by Audio Associates and their vendors, Monster (formerly Monster Cable) had a large presence with a booth that stretched down one wall, across a corner, and along another wall with an impressive showing of their product line. The Monster presence included those products for which they are best known – cables and headphones, but perhaps even more impressive than that – they demonstrated some of their new wireless technologies and systems…pointing towards a wireless future. [Read more…] about Monster’s Cable-less Future
Skullcandy Turns to Eye Candy to Sell Headphones
<March 21, 2012> Expanding on the concept of what constitutes performance, Skullcandy announced today it was creating a new group of supermodel ambassadors, appropriately called their “Supermodel Crew,” starting with the 2012 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover girl Kate Upton. Consummating a multi-year deal with Upton, Skullcandy says it will have “all-access” to the Sports Illustrated “it girl.” [Read more…] about Skullcandy Turns to Eye Candy to Sell Headphones
Wal-Mart Gets Angry…Birds, That Is
<March 21, 2012> In a unique partnership, Rovio Entertainment, Ltd., creator of the popular Angry Birds game and Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. are coming together to offer exclusive Angry Birds clothes, plush toys, and snacks that will include clues to a new version of the game launching later this week called Angry Birds Space. The partnership offers benefits to both Wal-Mart and Rovio…but mostly to those Wal-Mart customers who are Angry Birds fans as items sold in the store will include “Golden Eggsteroid” clues to unlock levels of the new game. [Read more…] about Wal-Mart Gets Angry…Birds, That Is
NPD Says Consumer Electronics Sales in 2011 at $144 Billion Are Down
<February 15, 2012> The NPD Group, a Port Washington, New York-based market research company said on Monday that total consumer electronics sales including both hardware and consumables, fell .5% to come in at a total of almost $144 billion. NPD’s data represents retail sales that the organization collects from retailers and totals. [Read more…] about NPD Says Consumer Electronics Sales in 2011 at $144 Billion Are Down
